Man opens fire outside California church

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — A man with a rifle opened fire near a church Saturday morning in the San Fernando Valley and wounded three people, Los Angeles police said.

Emergency services respond to a shooting Saturday at St. John Baptist de la Salle Parish.

The intended victim was the gunman’s 30-year-old ex-girlfriend, according to CNN affiliate KTLA. She was struck in the shoulder and is in stable condition at a local hospital, KTLA reported.

The suspect is the father of a student who goes to the church school, according to KTLA.

A second victim was in stable condition and a third was in critical condition, Los Angeles police spokeswoman Norma Eisenman said.

The man in critical condition was shot in the chest. He is 45. Another man, 47, was struck in the leg and is in stable condition, reported KTLA.

The Rev. Robert Milbauer, the parish’s pastor, told The Associated Press that about 50 people, mainly church volunteers and their children, were setting up food and game booths and carnival-style rides when the gunfire erupted.

“I was walking toward the festival area to say an opening prayer and I saw them,” Milbauer told AP of the shooting victims.

Police said the gunman is expected to be charged with three counts of attempted murder.

The suspect was reloading his weapon when he was tackled by several witnesses who were volunteers at the festival. The shooter put up a fight, struggling and taunting people as they were trying to subdue him. KTLA said the suspect and the weapon were taken into custody near the church, St. John Baptist de la Salle Parish in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles.

The call about the shooting came in around 10:57 a.m. PT (1:57 p.m. ET), KTLA said.

The festival was shut down for the day, and Milbauer told AP that grief counselors were meeting with witnesses, particularly the children. The parish plans to go ahead with the festival on Sunday, Milbauer said, in part to help parishioners put the tragedy behind them.